Number of children treated for Kawasaki disease doubles prompting plea for plasma donors

More than twice as many children needed plasma medicine to treat a disease which can cause childhood heart failure, latest figures show.

NHS Blood and Transplant is highlighting the figure for Kawasaki disease Awareness Day [Thursday, January 26] to urge more people to donate plasma, as only half the target amount of plasma is currently being donated.

The latest annual figures show that 706 children needed immunoglobulin, the medicine made from plasma, to treat Kawasaki disease. (1)

However during the previous five years, an average of only 336 children needed immunoglobulin treatment for Kawasaki disease each year. (2)

Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children aged under five in the UK. It can be fatal if not treated in time. (3)

The symptoms are a high temperature that lasts for five days or longer, and possibly one or more of the following symptoms:

a rash
swollen glands in the neck
dry, red cracked lips
a swollen, bumpy, red tongue
red inside the mouth and at the back of the throat
swollen and red hands and feet
red eyes.

Kawasaki disease may be linked genetic factors and also how the body responds to infections. The blood vessels around the heart can become inflamed. The increase in cases over 2020/21 may have been driven by coronavirus infections.

Plasma donation session Plasma is the liquid part of blood. It is rich in antibodies, which fight infections. The antibodies are concentrated into immunoglobulin medicine, which stabilises the immune response and reduces inflammation.

Currently, NHSBT has 5,850 plasma donors, but this is only just over half of how many donors are needed (around 10,200).

Between 1998 and 2021, plasma from UK donors could not be used for immunoglobulin as a vCJD precautionary measure, which meant the UK relied on imported immunoglobulin. However there are international supply pressures and international shortages.

The Government decided plasma collection for immunoglobulin should restart in England in 2021, after it accepted updated safety advice from the (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) MHRA.

NHS Blood and Transplant is now taking dedicated plasma donations in Twickenham, Reading, and Birmingham. NHSBT is also now recovering plasma from normal blood donations so that it can be used for immunoglobulin.

The plasma being collected by NHSBT is being stored, ready to be made into immunoglobulin when a new domestic manufacturing and supply chain is in place, to bolster NHS supplies.

You can donate plasma in Birmingham, Reading, or Twickenham. Plasma is also recovered from normal blood donations. Find out more about plasma donation here.

More plasma donors are needed to treat Kawasaki disease

Bella Hessey in hospital

Bella Hessey, 3, from Bicester, needed lifesaving treatment with immunoglobulin after developing Kawasaki disease as a baby.

Bella developed symptoms such as a whole body rash, red eyes, high temperature, but she was initially misdiagnosed as having an ear and throat infection.

She suffered some bulges in the blood vessels around her heart. Where one artery should have been 1 to 2mm wide, it was 12mm wide

Mum Abigail Baker, 26, a recruitment consultant, said: “The immunoglobulin's effect was instant. Straight away, her colour came back to normal. By the next morning she was eating again and her fever had completely gone. It saved her life.”

She added: “You see comments online from people all over the world trying to get hold of immunoglobulin because it's expensive. It's very important that people can donate again in England so we can have a more secure supply here, especially because treatment for Kawasaki disease is time restricted.”

Statements

Statement from Gerry Gogarty, Director of Plasma for Medicines at NHSBT

Statement from Neil O'Brien, Health Minister

Health Minister Neil O’Brien said:

“More plasma donors are needed to treat Kawasaki disease and we are working closely with NHS Blood and Transplant to boost supplies so we can provide the best possible care to patients. Thank you to existing donors who have generously come forward. If you can, please consider donating blood or plasma – it could save someone’s life.”

Statement from Dr Matthew Buckland, British Society for Immunology spokesperson and Consultant

Dr Matthew Buckland, British Society for Immunology spokesperson and Consultant Immunologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Barts Health NHS Trusts, said:

“Immunoglobulin is a lifesaving therapy and for some conditions there is no alternative. To meet the ever increasing need for conditions like Kawasaki disease, every plasma donation really does count.”

Statement from Dr Jethro Herberg, Clinical Reader in Paediatric Infectious Disease

Dr Jethro Herberg, Clinical Reader in Paediatric Infectious Disease, from Imperial College London’s Department of Infectious Disease, said:

“Immunoglobulin is a precious resource as it is a crucial medicine for the treatment of Kawasaki disease. We absolutely need to ensure a safe supply, and members of the public who donate plasma for immunoglobulin are making a greatly needed, and much appreciated contribution that will enable treatment of children with this condition that, if left untreated, can cause permanent heart damage.”

Statement from Rachael McCormack, Founder of Societi Foundation

Rachael McCormack, Founder of Societi Foundation, the UK Foundation for Kawasaki Disease, said:

“Quick diagnosis and rapid treatment with immunoglobulin in children with Kawasaki disease can be transformational – saving lives and protecting tiny hearts from the devastating impact of lifelong heart disease. With more and more children being affected by Kawasaki disease every year, donating plasma means children can get the urgent treatment they need and will have a much better chance of recovery.”

Press release notes

Additionally, during 2020/21, another 135 children were treated with immunoglobulin for Paediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome associated to COVID-19, a new disorder which has similar symptoms to Kawasaki disease.
Immunoglobulin Database Data Update for 2020/21 (PDF 1.12MB), published September 2022, compared to the figures for the previous five years
19% of all children affected by Kawasaki disease in the UK go on to have serious, lifelong heart damage – which is why it’s the number 1 cause of acquired heart disease in children. Delayed immunoglobulin treatment is associated with coronary artery aneurysm development. Kawasaki disease: a prospective population survey in the UK and Ireland from 2013 to 2015

Donating plasma

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